Meet the New Pinellas Schools Chief

One could almost hear the collective sigh of relief, as Dr. John A. Stewart left retirement to fill in as Pinellas County Schools Superintendent.

was fired by the school board, just as the new school year started. A quick move by the board brought Stewart, a veteran administrator, into the harsh limelight to pick up where Janssen left off.

His first day in the interim post was Sept. 3. He's getting right down to business.

Stewart, 67, is a well-known entity among school and government leaders in Florida. He was deputy superintendent of Pinellas County Schools and superintendent of Polk County Schools.

Stewart exudes the quiet confidence and demeanor of a professional who knows the ins and outs of running a Florida school district. He has a plain-spoken style that is similar to another Stewart: screen star Jimmy Stewart, known for his Everyman persona.

"I’m kind of a transparent fellow," Dr. Stewart said in a recent interview. "I think what you see is what you get.”

Stewart said it was an easy decision, when he was asked by the board to step in after Janssen was terminated. He was glad to help out.

“When they proposed an opportunity for me to come back, I said, 'Yes, I’d kind of like to do that,' ” Stewart said.

He says he accepted the interim position because he likes Pinellas County Schools and had a great experience working for the district from 2000-03.

Stewart knows he faces a difficult task, even though this is only a temporary job for him. He says the No. 1 issue facing the district is finances.  

"If you get a different answer from the other 66 superintendents, I’d fall off my chair," he said. “The other issue is student achievement, and the two are married at the hip."

Stewart says when it comes to student achievement, the challenge is to find ways to improve performance without spending a lot of money. "You get that by looking at how things are done in the classroom – for the kids, by the teachers and the support that they get from their administration,” he said.

Stewart pointed out that school districts have experienced financial difficulties in the state before, but not for such a prolonged period of time. He says that many teachers have had to take on second jobs to make ends meet. The growing number of single-parent families is another issue facing the district.

With the recent change in district leadership, Stewart says he has the task of developing a consensus, improving the work environment and building on the success of the outstanding programs currently in place.  

Stewart says that when it comes to solving big problems like these, he often refers to a favorite book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. He cites a passage in the book, "Seek first to understand before you are understood," which he describes as a good mantra to follow.

In addition to serving as interim superintendent and deputy superintendent for Pinellas County Schools, Stewart has been a teacher, high school principal, deputy commissioner of education for Florida and executive director of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA).

The Pinellas County School Board has not yet said exactly how long it will take to hire a new superintendent. But Stewart has already figured out what he will do when his temporary gig is over.

“My next career move will be to go back to Polk County and retire,” he said with a smile.